"The Power of the Cross" Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

all right grab your Bibles your iPhone your iPad whatever the your your mechanism is and we're gonna go to first Corinthians chapter 1 first Corinthians chapter 1 that's right before 2nd Corinthians I know that I helped you out quite a bit I want to reverse 18 verse 18 first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 here's what it says for the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God that's it that one verse right there I want to talk about the power of the Cross tell your neighbor the power of the Cross tell them on the other side the pastor gonna preach about the power of the Cross alright you can be seated if I can take just a few moments and give you a little background to this particular passage the Apostle Paul took several missionary journeys he took several journeys where he took the gospel to the various places and one of those places was a place called Corinth and it was there in Corinth that he started this church that he now writes a letter to he's writing the letter to the members of the church that he founded the church in Corinth his book is called first corinthians he wrote two letters to them because they were jacked up people they were they had a lot of stuff going on in the Church of Corinth carnality was going on sexual immorality a man was sleeping with his father's wife they had abuse of communion they had lawsuits suing each other fornication unmarried people having sex I ain't think y'all would say Amen on that they were the modern-day First Baptist Church of Glen Arden I need to tell y'all because I I can say this because I'm the pastor cuz we got a little bit of everything in this church yeah a little bit of everything a little bit and nothing you can tell me gonna surprise me shock me you can't come and say pass idea sauce so you never hear me say no no that would happen because I faced everything I've seen everything I've heard everything this church has everything and that's a good thing because because we are a we are a hospital for sick people we are not a social club for saints we are not a club for those who have it all together that's what the church is supposed to be it's supposed to come in here when you're jacked up tour from the flow of messed up people you come in here and we have a we have a message that will transform and change your life and that message is the power of the process so Paul writes to this church because they have so much going on any encourages and matter of fact if you I know they read beginning verse 10 can I start at verse 10 for just a moment some when I say go start at verse 10 now I plead with you verse 10 brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment so Paul says I'm writing and pleading with you all to get on the same page stop bickering and arguing and fussing and fighting and debating with each other verse 11 for has been declared to me concerning you my Brotherhood that by those of Chloe's house that there are contentions among you Paul says I'm writing to you and I heard some bad news about you and by the way let me tell you I heard it from Chloe's family now that's an important thing because a lot of times people want to come to you and tell you something but they don't want to tell you where it came from I tell my staff don't give me no letters don'ts don't for nothing to be if somebody doesn't have the courage to put their name don't come and talk to me tomorrow somebody see it but I don't want to tell you who said it will keep whatever they say into yourself Paul lays down a model for us right here he says I'm telling you what I heard and I'm telling you where I got it from Chloe's folk told me Chloe and him told me babe Chloe's kids told me at which I was doing verse 12 he says now I say this that each of you says I am of Paul I am of apollos or I am of Cephas or I am of crisis he says they're bickering among themselves about who their favorite preacher I'm thankful that Pastor Jeffrey Johnson was here last week when I was gone but he had to go I had to send it back send it back to Indianapolis yeah I had to get him up out of here amen because the First Baptist carnal people say well I like pastor Jeffress Jeffrey Johnson I know I like pastor Jenkins no we're not competing with each other it's not a competition the Paul says y'all ought not be talking about that he says he says y'all are saying somebody says I'm from Paul and I'm of Apollo's and I'm of Cephas verse 13 its Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul Paul said I ain't died for none of y'all again saying verse 14 he says I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius unless anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name yes I also baptize the house of stephanas besides I do not know whether i baptized any other his with the summary of what are you saying his I didn't baptize a whole bunch er maybe a couple of y'all i baptize but I didn't baptize the whole bunch of y'all cuz it ain't my name that saves anybody I know I know that's not good English right that's good preaching come on somebody said that's good for he said I'm not trying to make a name for myself it's not my name that saved anybody matter of fact in verse 17 he says for Christ did not send me to baptize I didn't come here to baptize you ought to make you one of my disciples Paul says I came here to preach the gospel well that's an important point he says I came to preach the gospel to you not with the wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect Paul says I didn't come to try to articulate to you and the beaks smoothing my words and they have to show you how smart I am he says I came to bring you a basic gospel that will change lives as a matter of fact in verse 18 he transitions and says and this is diversity he says for the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing so the people who don't believe the people who are on their way to hell thinks the message of the Cross is foolishness but I like this he says but to us who are being saved now cannot cannot can I stick a pin right here let me talk about being saved because some people think that when you come to church and accept Jesus you become perfect overnight but all y'all know that that's far from the truth you don't become perfect when you accept Jesus we are being saved it's a process that God is saving me from something every day I wish I had a Amen right there from anybody I haven't arrived I haven't died at every high I haven't crossed every T I haven't done all the things but I'm thankful that I'm better off today than I was at this point last year there's some things I had last year at this time that God has delivered me from by this time this year do I have any witness system from anybody here today none of us have died at every I and crossed every T we're not perfect we are in the process of being saved that word saved means being delivered God is delivering me every day I look back over my life and I can thank God that I'm not everything I'm going to be but I'm not everything I used to be I'm praising the Lord I ain't cuss all day to day today come on give the Lord a shout right now he said a customer at all day today come on praise the Lord amen amen praise Him I'm giving him the glory and the thanks that I ain't said a cuss word all day today that's progress look at your neighbor say that's progress come on I ain't had a Twinkie all day today come on give the Lord a shot right here praise Him amen y'all y'all don't understand what I'm trying to tell you it is the power I need to talk about that because because the problem is the problem is that some people don't recognize the message of the Cross as a matter of fact some churches have become seeker sensitive and then they say their secret secret sensitive because they want people to come in church and be comfortable and so they remove anything in the church that might be offensive so some churches take the cross out because it might offend somebody I think churches need to forget about being seeker sensitive and become jesus' let me thank all 27 of y'all for that round of applause right there on their very significant point because the cross has meaning the cross symbolizes it means it's a message that the world doesn't want to hear the cross represents self-sacrifice the cross represents submission i'm submitted to somebody's will other than mine it represents death physical and material death it represents being rejected it represents being crucified even though you weren't guilty it means being punished for doing no wrong it means being publicly embarrassed and exposed it means being forsaken by those whom you love and trust it but you still love them oh yeah that cross represents a God who looks beyond your thoughts and saw what you need that cross means that our sin-debt has been satisfied by the blood of Jesus on the cross the cross represents and symbolizes that Satan was defeated you see the cross represents and happened what happened at the cross Jesus was hung on the cross and there were two other guys hanging on the cross - but what dead death means that they will be punished for their sins and their death means nothing but that cross in the middle with the man in the middle with Jesus hanging on the cross his blood was different in the blood of the chokers on his left hand on his right his blood was without sin and because of the shedding of his blood when his blood dripped from the cross our sins got washed away somebody give the Lord a shout right here - his blood washes away all of our selves I don't want you to sleep that point that's a significant deal that his blood washes away our sins at the cross at the cross it was at the cross where Jesus hung on the cross at the cross the songwriter says this is that the cross the way I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away it was there by faith what I received my sight and now I'm happy all the day long the cross is such a significant thing what does it mean I'm glad you asked the question I want to look at a few verses this is a Bible study since you don't come to Bible study I bring Bible study to you I want to look at Galatians chapter 6 if you're in 1st Corinthians the next book is cent Corinthians and the next book is Galatians chapter 6 and I want to read verse 14 here's what Galatians 6:14 said talking about the cross listen to what it says but God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world I like that he says God forbid that I should boast except in the cross he says you and I don't have anything to brag about I know you think that you've achieved and you've accomplished and you've got this on your job and you bought this house and you're driving this car and you're wearing these clothes but Paul says the Oh thing that we can boast about is of where we are and doing what we do because of what Jesus Christ did what he did y'all missed a great spot to shout amen because I don't care who you are what you've done in life if you got there you got there because of what Jesus did for you on the cross you didn't pull yourself up by your bootstraps you didn't make and achieve things in life on your own strengths and ability if he hadn't awakened you up every morning you wouldn't even have this trip to make it happen if he hadn't given you the brains to think the way you think or the body to do what you do you would have accomplished nothing in life in other words Paul says if you want to break in anything brag on the fact that Jesus paid the price for you on the cross and gave you what you have to accomplish in life you got there because of Jesus Christ I know y'all don't want to say man we got some arrogant people in here today who think they did it and they made themselves who they are you are who you are by the blood of Jesus Christ we got there by the cross somebody say by the cross let's look at Luke chapter 9 Luke that's in the New Testament Matthew Mark Luke chapter 9 chapter 9 verse 23 talks about the cross so my first thing is we can only glory only boast in the cross here's number 2 chapter 9 verse 23 here's what it says this is this is Jesus talking then he said to them all if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me you got to pick up a cross every day so your problem is you ain't picking it up every day you you he say if you want to be one of my disciples I'm coming to that in just a few moments I'm running ahead of myself but Jesus says it's a daily deal somebody say it's an everyday deal every day you got to wake up and say I need Jesus I need what he did for me I need him to open up doors I need him to give me direction I need him to fight my battles I need him to keep the devil out of my I need him to answer my prayer it's a daily deal pick up the cross pick up the sacrifice of the cross every day here's a third thing third thing third thing third thing is right here in Luke chapter 14 just go a couple more chapters couple more chapters chapter chapter 14 verse 27 here it is Jesus talking again and whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple whew that's a tough word right there whoever's not willing to pick up self-sacrifice whoever doesn't pick up submission whoever doesn't accept being rejected because of your belief whoever is unwilling to be embarrassed and ashamed because you stand for Jesus whoever is not willing to pick up that cross every day who's not willing to accept the cross you can't be one of my disciples see we have a culture where people want to accept Jesus to get the blessings but they don't want to pay the price that's associated with it they don't want to be obedient they don't want to tell their friends and no they don't want to live holy and righteous they don't want to make righteous choices and Jesus said I didn't write this this was right here in the text he says whoever does not bear his cross and come after me if you don't pick up your cross you cannot be a disciple of Jesus you know what we have in our culture we got a lot of believers but we don't have a lot of disciples there's a difference between being a believer and a disciple a believer believes but guess what the devil believes also we need people who are not just going to believe but people who are going to do a disciple is somebody who does what the gospel says I'm preaching better than y'all of saying Amen we got four thousand people crammed up in this building but I wonder how many of them I live in the gospel day after day after day after day who are the disciple who who are getting up and loving the people who despitefully use you who are the people who are disciples who are when they smack you on one cheek you turn another cheek and when they spiked that cheek you turn around and give me two other cheeks I'm trying to figure out do we have many disciples up in here some of y'all are plotting to hurt somebody who didn't hurt you that's not what a disciple does but disciple recognizes that Jesus said vengeance is mine I'll do to repay if they hurts you I'll get him back don't you get him back he said I'll take care of them and anybody here know we serve a god that when he fights for you and when he defends you and we need to when he gives a revenge he doesn't write that's what a disciple does but disciple Mestas word dictate his life their life that's what the disciples he says he says if you gonna be modest if you won't be one of my disciples if you're gonna do if you want to do what I say you got to pick up the cross let me give you one last thing then I'll be out of a fee is chapter 2 I'm almost finished yeah yeah yeah y'all saying y'all a chapter 2 of Ephesians verses 14 15 and 16 listen to what it says for he himself is our peace who has made both one somebody say both both means Jews and Gentiles blacks and whites bond and free rich and poor make both Jew and Gentile both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of Commandments contained in ordinances so has to create in himself one new man from the truth thus making peace so there's no longer a Jew and the Gentile he's making one body and verse 16 that he might reconcile them both to God in one body how through the cross there by putting to death of the enmity God says I'm creating a cross that's gonna bring everybody in it to be one body we are one body in Christ somebody say we are one body in Christ sit one more time one body in Christ and we got to be one body in Christ we got reconciled to God by the cross God took us we were separated from God but we've been united and reconciled to God by the cross of Jesus Christ both black white Jew Gentile bond free rich poor we can go on down the line because of the cross we all have access to God the Father and that's great news I'm telling you I feel a shout coming on me when I think about the fact that what Jesus did for us on the cross is enough to wash away all of our sins what did he do he hung on the cross he they stretched him wide they hung him high they nailed him in his hands and nailed him in his feet and pierced him in his side and put a crown of thorns on his head and God took all of our sins and all of our sicknesses and God punished Jesus for us get this it should have been you hanging on that cross all that nests you with your nasty selves all that stuff you did he should have hung you on the cross but Jesus said I'll take your place that's what the cross means Jesus took my place I should have been hung up I should be dead I should be on my way to hell but he did it for me I don't know what y'all think about but when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he has done for me my soul cries out hallelujah thank God for saving me that's the power of the Cross that he was wounded for my transgressions and bruised from my iniquity and the chastisement of my peace was laid oh Jesus he died for me he hung up there for me he was wounded and punished tomorrow never gone with Tim for me he died and was buried hallelujah when you talk about the cross it means he died he took the punishment God whipped him for you somebody here today he died for you and I know the devil's telling you that you have done too much that God cannot possibly forgive you for all the wrong that you've done but I got great news for you I don't care how low down you have fallen I don't care how much you have sinned the blood of Jesus is sufficient to wash away all of your sins it is not an accident that God brought you here today it is not a coincidence that you're here he brought you here because he's gonna save you today somebody gonna get saved right here today somebody gonna happen see here's what the pilot of crossed us that cross is so powerful embrace every change that process is so powerful it loses every shaft that cross is so powerful it picks you up out of the picks picks you up out of the muck and mire clay and set your feet on a solid rock to stake that cross is so powerful it transforms your life I'm telling what that cross to do it will give you right thinking it'll give you a right heart here to help you walk a right path I don't know who you are but all I know is that you're here and it means this he died on the cross he was buried and that the third day early in the morning he got up out of the grave that's what the cross means he died he was buried but early Sunday he got up he's alive anyway now I don't know who you are but I know that you're here I know that you're lost I know that The Devil's trying to keep you in bondage but I got great news for you the Cross is available for you to get a relationship with God and the best thing you can do is have the courage and get up out of your seat right now don't be ashamed and make your way down here the Jesus that we're preaching to you right now will save you and forgive you and cleanse you and break every chain in your life don't be ashamed don't be afraid but make your way here right now while the blood is running warm in your veins come and make a decision for Jesus right now backslidden come and rededicate unsure come and get assurance you need a church home visit the church that God wants you to be a part of come on right now right now

Channel: Inside FBCG

Views: 51,255

Rating: 4.7551022 out of 5

Keywords: FBCG, Pastor, John K. Jenkins Sr., First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Lord, God, Jesus, Christ, Holy, Grace, Sermon, Word, Bible, Study, Baptist, Church, Gospel, Preaching, Ministries, Ministry, Praise, Spirit, Religion, Blessed, Blessing, Salvation, Revival, Fellowship, Black, Preacher, Preachers, Power, Cross

Id: 7oKZxErni4U

Length: 24min 46sec (1486 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 24 2015